Shanahand History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• Ireland

Etymology of Shanahand

The surname Shanahand is originally a name that appeared in Gaelic as Ó Seanachain, which is derived from the word "sean," meaning "old."

Early Origins of the Shanahand family

Early History of the Shanahand family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Shanahand research. Another 92 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1318, 1802, 1863, 1877, 1916 and 1937 are included under the topic Early Shanahand History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Shanahand Spelling Variations

Names during the Middle Ages were often recorded under several different spelling variations during the life of their bearers. Literacy was rare at that time and so how a person's name was recorded was decided by the individual scribe. Variations of the name Shanahand include Shanahan, O'Shanahan, Shahan, Shannon, Gilshenan and many more.

Early Notables of the Shanahand family

Another 34 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Shanahand Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Shanahand family

In the late 18th century, Irish families began emigrating to North America in the search of a plot of land to call their own. This pattern of emigration grew steadily until the 1840s when the Great Potato Famine of the 1840s cause thousands of Irish to flee the death and disease that accompanied the disaster. Those that made it alive to the shores of the United States and British North America (later to become Canada) were, however, instrumental in the development of those two powerful nations. Many of these Irish immigrants proudly bore the name of Shanahand: Charles Shannon, who arrived in America in 1742; James Shanahan, who was a laborer in St. John's, Newfoundland, in 1779; Bridget Shannon, who was on record in Massachusetts in 1813.